Cisco 2018 Annual Cyber Security Report

Highlights Cyber Security Report

Here are a few of Cisco’s important findings. For the full report, please visite www.cisco.com.

• Supply chains
  Attacks can impact computers on a massive scale and can persist for months or even years. Defenders should be aware of the potential risk of using software or hardware from organizations that do not appear to have a responsible security posture.
• Security is getting more complex
  Defenders are implementing a complex mix of products from a cross-section of vendors to protect against breaches. This complexity and growth in breaches have many downstream effects on an organization’s ability to defend against attacks, such as increased risk of losses.
• Behavioral analytics tools
  92% of security professionals said behavior analytics tools work well in locating malicious actors in networks. Two-thirds of the healthcare sector, followed by financial services, found behavior analytics to work extremely well to identify malicious actors.
• Use of cloud is growing:
  In this year’s study, 27% of security professionals said they are using off-premises private clouds, compared with 20 percent in 2016. Attackers are taking advantage of this lack of advanced security

Last year’s evolution of malware demonstrates that our adversaries continue to learn. We have to raise the bar now – top down leadership, business led, technology investments, and practice effective security – there is too much risk, and it is up to us to reduce it.
~ John N. Stewart, Senior Vice President, Chief Security and Trust Officer at Cisco

Recommendations for defenders

• Adhere to corporate policies and practices for application, system, and appliance patching.
• Have access to timely, accurate threat intelligence data and processes that allow for that data to be incorporated into security monitoring.
• Perform deeper and more advanced analytics.
• Back up data often and test restoration procedures, processes that are critical in a world of fast-moving, network-based ransomware worms and destructive cyber weapons.
• Conduct security scanning of microservice, cloud service, and application administration systems.

More information (English / Dutch) or listen to an interview with Michel Schaalje from Cisco on BNR Newsradio (in Dutch).

Source / The Hague Security Delta, Cisco